


Remember Me, Even in the Darkness

by Negateaux



Category: DCU (Comics), Superman (Comics), Wonder Woman (Comics)
Genre: F/M, New 52
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:54:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27312217
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Negateaux/pseuds/Negateaux
Summary: As the Batman Who Laughs rages across his new world, warden Diana comes across a Superman from another world. But as she gets to know him, memories from another life make her question their connection.
Relationships: Diana (Wonder Woman) & Clark Kent, Diana (Wonder Woman)/Clark Kent
Comments: 8
Kudos: 32





	Remember Me, Even in the Darkness

**Author's Note:**

> The events of this story take place right before Death Metal 1. Hope you enjoy.

Diana was no stranger to the heat, the fires of Hephastus’s forge, Apollo’s sunrays, she’d felt them all before. The heat made her think of Olympus, made her think of a place she once called familiar. Now though, nothing was familiar. A lifetime of struggle, a lifetime of strife with the gods, strife with her sisters, strife with mans world. She wished she could have it all back. Anything other than where she was now.

She strikes hammer to anvil, sweat beading off her face. If the Hellscape was good for one thing, it was that it made great heat for the forge. 

Making weapons had become the only form of catharsis she’s found ever since the world...became what it is now. She never saw her friends anymore and when she did, it was never for anything good. The Batman Who Laughs made sure any time they saw each other, someone was suffering. Her home in ruin, her friends on the run, and all she could do was forge. Forge and rule over what little was left. What little she was allowed control over. The pain was unbearable. To watch everything you love slowly die. As an immortal, she knew she’d outlive them all. But not like this.  _ Anything but this. _ She’d often find herself repeating the thought again and again. 

As she strikes more and more, she can’t help but feel the isolation sink deeper in her skin. A thought more cruel than any the laughing fool could ever come up with. She was the world’s last hope but she herself was losing it every day. She couldn’t even remember how long this had all gone on for and her heart ached with each passing day as she wondered how much longer she could hold on.

A scream of frustration escapes her lips as she strikes the anvil one last time. The force of the blow making a dent in the sword she made big enough that she'd likely find herself staring over. The thought made her roll her eyes.  _ Not like I need another sword anyway.  _ She throws the dented blade off to the side and takes a few deep breaths. 

She runs her hands through her hair and undoes the tie, letting her now blue tipped black hair fall around her. She steps away from the forge and gathers her red cloak and crown. She drapes it around her shoulders, places the crown on her head and exits the room. Though “room” was putting it mildly. Most “rooms” in the Hellscape were overly large craters that she’d spent the early parts of her career as a prison warden trying to make somewhat presentable. There were railings around  _ some _ of the fire pits. The weapon room had a makeshift door that wouldn’t keep anybody out and the “entrances” had been forged to resemble the greek halls of her homeland. Fitting, since the Hellscape had once  _ been _ her homeland.

Exiting the forge room led her directly into one of the many prison halls. Lined on both sides were the various villains she and the Justice League once faced back before the world changed. They always yelled to her as she passed. “Tyrant!”

“When I get out I’m going to-”

“Please just a glass of-”

“You can’t do this.”

“Just let us out!”

She’d learned to tune it out. 

Diana heads for the main chamber of the prison. The only place with access to the upper floors. She decides that she may as well get some sleep, nothing else was here that required her attention today. Tomorrow she knew she’d likely get a visit from the Batman Who Laughs. Purely on the basis that he didn’t show himself today. He seemingly had nothing better to do than show up, annoy her and make threats.

Once she enters the main chamber, she’s greeted by the sight of a few different members of the Dark Knights as she had taken to calling them. Each one a more sadistic and more laughable if she was being honest, version of Bruce Wayne. All from different earths. Infinite Earths, infinite dark reflections. And all of which were watching for the slightest hint that she wasn’t doing her duty. She may have been this prisons warden, but she was just as much a prisoner as the villains. 

A grand staircase leads to her destination and she’s already a few steps up it when she hears a voice. One that gets her far more frustrated than anything else. “Warden Diana!” Comes the voice of The Wayne. She takes a deep breath and turns towards the voice as slow as she can.

The Wayne stands there in his usual business suit and tie, a look that in the old world may have looked normal but here made him stand out even among his fellow Dark Knights. He was just about the smarmiest version of Bruce Wayne in the entire multiverse. Always wearing a shit-eating grin and always acting as if he was the most important person in every room he stands in. Even amongst his fellow Knights. He’s not very gifted in battle so clearly the Batman Who Laughs placed him in a task he can do what he does best. Annoying everyone. He stands next to a blue cloaked figure in chains and taps his foot impatiently.

“Wayne,” Diana asks with as fake a smile as she can muster. “To what do I owe the pleasure?” The Wayne scowls at her.

“It’s  _ The _ Wayne to you. And I’ve come to deliver you a very important prisoner.” The Wayne shoves the cloaked figure down to his knees, the prisoner making a loud grunt upon landing. Diana can’t see his face but she guessed that he was likely just another criminal underling. Every few days The Wayne would show up with another one, usually just someone that Batman’s third Robin punched in the face once. She had to admit they were running low on space.

“Who is he?” Diana asked, refusing to meet The Wayne’s lurking eyes.

“No idea. We found him right outside Castle Bat, trying to attack our leader in his home. These resistance fighters never give up. But he did give us a bit more trouble than the usual lot. Pretty strong that one. Not stronger than me of course.”

“Of course.” Diana repeated, still trying not to look at him.

“Do you mean that?” The Wayne says weakly. Diana finally meets his eyes.

“Yes.” She says flatly. The tone should have shown him that she didn’t but she’d learned that The Wayne would usually leave her alone if he felt she’s stroked his ego even the tiniest bit. 

“Good. About time you recognized my talents.” The Wayne turns away. “Find him a good cell, something tiny.” He walks away without another word. Diana reaches down and pulls the prisoners chains so he stands up.

“Come, we’ll find you something.”

“Thanks, Warden.” The prisoner says with a hint of humor. Usually that was the first thing to go. Unless you were the joker that is. Something in the prisoners voice gave Diana pause though, it sounded familiar but beyond that, it gave her a scratch in the back of her mind. Like something long forgotten just came into her memory for the first time in years. Diana drags the chains, not unkindly as she makes her way to the only open cell she can currently remember. 

“So,” The prisoner says breaking the silence. “You’re Wonder Woman right?” Diana doesn’t turn.

“I was, some time ago. Now, I’m just Warden.”

“That’s a shame. The world could really use a Wonder Woman right now.”

“What the world needs and what I can provide are two very different things I’m afraid.” The prisoner says nothing but she can almost feel him nodding behind her. “The Wayne,” Diana begins. “Said he found you outside Castle Bat. Is this true?”

“Yeah, I thought I’d go over there, ask the Batman Who Laughs if he wanted to step outside and I’d end this whole thing.” Diana found her face crack the tiniest smile.

“And why did you think you could pull that off?” She asks without really expecting a specific answer.

“That’s an easy one, Warden. I’m Superman.” Diana stops and quickly turns to face the prisoner. He stops, taken aback. Hood still obscuring his face. Diana reaches slowly towards the prisoners hood. Could it really be him? She’d been looking for so long. Maybe with him here, they could turn the tide. She gently removes the hood from the prisoner's face. The hope in her heart fading the more of it she saw until it was gone entirely.

Indeed, his face did look just like her memory of her best friends but she knew this wasn’t him. It wasn’t the Clark from her world. His hair was too short, he wasn’t quite as muscular and it was clear, despite not seeing the whole thing, that he wasn’t wearing his usual costume. Her friend was still out there somewhere.

“I don’t mean to pry, Warden but you look a little disappointed.” Diana turns back around and continues the walk. 

“I thought you were the Superman from my world. I could...really use a friend right now.” She’s surprised by her own words. Superman always had a way of getting people to talk, she was no exception. Barry always said it was that winning smile but Diana knows it’s the noticeable empathy in his speech. She guessed it applied to all Supermen.

“I know the feeling. I lost a Diana myself some time ago.”

“Were you best friends as well?”

“We were much more than that. We were perfect.” Diana shakes her head. The feeling that she was forgetting something growing stronger.

“You were lovers?” He’s about to answer when the pair of them reach an empty cell. It’s small like The Wayne had requested. Basically a hole carved into the stone that had a cot and a pissbucket. She was fortunate to have a Robin crow to do that part of the job. Superman gives the place a once over before dutifully stepping inside. Diana closes the bars behind him.

“I hate to state the obvious but these look like regular metal bars. Won’t I just...you know” He shrugs his shoulders towards the cage.

“These bars are made of Nth metal. I think you’ll find them harder to break than you might think.”

“Do I have to keep these on?” He raises his hands. Diana motions him over before grabbing a key from her pocket and releasing him. “I appreciate that, Warden.”

“Please, call me Diana. I think I can give name rights to Superman. Even if he isn’t the one I was hoping for.” Silence passes between them. The thought still tries to escape the deepest recess of her mind. “Good night.” She begins to leave but Superman calls out to her.

“Wait, Diana. Just a moment, please.” She turns back to him with an eyebrow raised. “I don’t know how much time you have but you mentioned that you needed a friend. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t similar. Maybe we can talk for a bit.” He blushes a bit, as if he’s embarrassed to ask. Everything in Diana’s mind told her to leave. Getting personal with a prisoner was just a bad idea by every stretch of the imagination but then there was that tiny thought again. The one that kept getting louder. The voice was telling her to sit here and talk to this Superman. Realizing that she had nothing else to do anyway, she decides to give in. 

“Very well, I will stay for a few minutes.” He smiles a wide grin. 

“I’m glad, Diana. The name’s Clark Kent. Though I imagine you knew that.” He reaches his hand through the bars looking for her to shake it. The thought of something so oddly human in a world such as this one brings a smile to her face. She takes the hand earnestly. As soon as their hands touch, a jolt shoots through Diana’s whole body, causing her to jump back. She couldn’t remember the last time she'd been shocked like that. Certainly not since the world became like it is. The thought made her laugh. “Oh, sorry.” Superman says. “I don’t know how that happened.

“It’s fine, it’s been some time since I had that experience. Please, let’s sit.” Superman reaches for the cloak around him and removes the garment. Under it, he wears the poorest excuse for a uniform Diana had seen in a while. Further proving this wasn’t the Superman she knew. He wore regular blue jeans and brown boots. The iconic Superman symbol was attached to a regular light blue t-shirt. The only thing on him that felt “super” was his red cape. A cape adorned with a black version of his symbol on the back. Contrasting with the yellow version she was familiar with. 

The both of them sit on the warm floor, capes curling as they do so. “Tell me about your worlds Superman.” He begins. “I’m wondering how close our lives are. Never met another me before.” Diana takes a deep breath. 

“Where does one even start to describe Superman?” She asks more to herself than the man in front of her. She decides to start with her earliest memory of him. They met on the battlefield. As all great meetings begin. They were battling Darkseid, perhaps ten years ago if she recalled correctly. That was their first meetings well as the first meeting of those who would become the Justice League. 

As she describes this aspect of the story, Superman’s eyes widen as if this part was the most interesting. She ignores it and moves on. 

She goes on to describe how the two of them became close friends in the years that followed. She was at his wedding to Lois. She was there soon after his son, Jon was born. She was there for him during the disaster at Sanctuary. Two friends who’d been through hell together. 

As the story goes on however, Diana finds herself questioning her own recollection of the events. Yes, she remembered them the way she described but it was as if she was missing a key detail. Whatever that voice in the back of her head was trying to say, she felt that was key to the story.

Clark nods his head with understanding, Perhaps his own world was similar? “Well,” Clark begins. “He sounds like Superman to me. Interesting that his costume was made by his version of my mom though. All she ever made me was this shirt. She died though. Back at the start of my time as Superman. Her and Pa. Miss them everyday. Your Clark is lucky to still have them.” He motions to the shirt he wears. “I eventually had my own ‘real’ suit. It was like a Kryptonian battle suit. It appeared whenever I called it. Saved me some money on dry-cleaning at least.”

“Why don’t you tell me about your Diana. You sounded like you two were close as well?” A warm smile crosses Clark’s face as he clearly remembers their time fondly. 

“Diana...I can’t even begin to describe her. We met almost exactly like your story but our connection was like the lighting from Zeus’s bolt, as she used to tell me. Silver was always her color, not like the gold you wear. And she never wore that skirt thing you’re wearing either. She always wore this like…” He motions around his waist. “Underwear thing? Honestly, I never knew what to call it.” Diana laughs. She imagines an old outfit of hers matching that description. “She was the strongest, fiercest, and most loyal person the world had ever seen. And we loved each other. We loved each other so much.”

“I can tell. Your eyes tell a story your mouth cannot articulate.”

“And it wasn’t always easy. We fought. We got in each other's faces. She became the  _ actual _ Goddess of War, the embodiment of everything I stand against. But I trusted Diana to do the right thing. We always, always,  _ always  _ talked out our issues. We worked hard to become the couple we became.” His gaze turns sour. “I even told her that I wasn’t sure I loved her anymore. It was my greatest regret, I was going through a lot at the time. But that was no excuse for what happened. And she stood by me anyway. She stood by me until the end.”

“When you lost her? How did she die?” Clark laughs an empty laugh.

“I didn’t lose her. She lost me. I actually died.” Diana widens her gaze but says nothing. “That was probably almost five years ago. I don’t know how or why but I woke up here.” He motions around him. “Well, the Dark Multiverse that is. Not here in this cell. Or at Castle Bat.” Clark takes a deep breath. “I’ll always remember how she stayed with me in the end, told me my parents were waiting for me. I’ve never forgotten her face. What a lucky man I was.” As those last words escape his lips, Diana’s heart begins to hammer in her chest, the voice in the back of her mind screaming for her to remember. She stands up abruptly, images of her and Clark together in ways that made no sense in her memory begin to flood her mind. 

Clark gets up too, reacting to her sudden movement. “What’s wrong?” He asks with a hint of urgency.

Diana moves in close and wraps her hands around the bars, breath increasing as if the next one could be her last. A question raging across her mind.

“What would you tell her?” Clark raises an eyebrow.

“What would I tell who?”

“Your Diana. What would you tell her if she was here? What would you tell her if she was here but she didn’t know it was you?” Clark cocks his head, eyes narrowed. “Please, answer.” Diana says with more desperation than she means.

“If she didn’t know it was me,” Clark grasps the bars and gets closer. “I would simply tell her the truth.”

“And what truth is that?”

“The real reason that we worked together so well. It’s because when we were united, she made me a better Superman. And I made her-”

“A better Diana.” The words formed a life of their own on her lips. She didn’t even mean to speak them. Had no idea what they even meant. Clark steps back. 

“Exactly, how did you-”

“It doesn’t matter.” Diana says curtly. She turns away. “Good night, Clark.” She says as she walks swiftly away, not inviting further conversation. 

That night, as Diana laid in bed, her brain filled with memories of a life she never lived.

* * *

Clark wasn’t sure how many hours he sat there, listening to the inane chatter of the villains in the nearby cells. He wonders where Tempus and the others are right now. He hadn’t heard from them since everything happened. He lays on the available cot but sleep won’t really come to him. He has to find a way out of the cell. Every moment he’s in here is another the Batman Who Laughs gains power. If he could just get out of here, get a little yellow sun energy, he could end this. He was still just another Bruce after all.

A few more hours pass and he has to assume it’s night. Most of the chatter has stopped and he finds himself getting tired. Still, he should at least try the bars. He gets off the cot and gingerly makes his way over to the bars. He grips them and just as he’s about to pull, he hears hurried footsteps coming down the hall. He quickly removes his hands and attempts, albeit rather unconvincingly that he’s just admiring the walls. “Very convincing.” Diana says flatly as she comes into view. She grabs a key from her belt and inserts it into the lock. The door opens with surprising speed as she pulls it. “Put these on and come with me.” She holds out the chains he came in with.

Clark looks in her eyes, their full of something that looks like desperation. “Diana, is something wrong?”

“No time. Do you trust me?”

“Of course.” She then motions once more to the chains. He eyes her suspiciously but begins to put them on.

Once fully chained Diana drags him through the hallways with more force than before. He can clearly see something’s bothering her, but if he’d learned anything in his multiversal travels so far, it’s that he could always trust Wonder Woman...with maybe one or two exceptions. He hopes this won't be one of those times.

They enter the main chamber with stairs that led to the upper floors. He expects the Dark Knights to react to Diana dragging a prisoner upstairs but no objections came. Either they were so confident that they had nothing to worry about or they just generally didn’t care. 

A few silent minutes later, the two of them stop in front of a large doorway. Its stone doors remind Clark of his few visits to Themyscira with its white sheen and ancient architecture. 

Diana opens the door and they both enter. Clark has to admit, the room is nicer than he expects. The floors are made of shiny white tiles, it’s big and spacious and the bed, placed in the center of the room looks comfy enough. Not much is in the room, a weapon rack, and one dresser are all that lie within. Windows line the walls, big enough for a giant to get through. Either the Batman Who Laughs didn’t care for Diana’s privacy or she designed it so she could always look out at the surroundings. It might have looked nice if the general greyish brown of the Hellscape wasn’t so everpresent.  _ No true sunlight as far the eye can see. _ Diana shuts the door and begins to remove the chains.

“Finally want to tell me what this is all about? I’m of course open to talk more if that’s what this is but I don’t want you getting into trouble.” Clark says as he rubs his wrists. Diana motions him over to her bed.

“Sit with me, Clark.” She heads over without waiting for a response.  _ At least it’s better than the floor. _ Once they are both sitting, Clark notices their knees touching ever so slightly, the feeling sends the  _ tiniest _ shock through him. He shakes off the feeling.  _ This isn’t her. Even if it looks like her. _ Diana takes a deep breath. “I brought you up here,” She says without meeting Clarks gaze. “Because ever since we talked, a thought has been running through my head. One that I can’t explain.” Clark watches intently but says nothing. “I think, somehow, someway, that I’m the Diana from your story.” Clark’s eyes shoot up. He moves away from her slightly but she turns and grabs his hands.

“That’s crazy, Diana.” Clark says with a nervous laugh. He can’t help but notice how familiar her hands feel over his. They have the same warmth hers had, the same feeling even.  _ It’s not her. _ He reminds himself. “Sure, our stories are similar but that’s it. Multiverse, you know how it is.” 

“I know how crazy it sounds. I hardly believe my own words but I know it’s true.”

“How? How can you know that?” She releases his hands and stares back off into the distance.

“While we spoke, and while I slept, my mind kept getting filled with these images. I was seeing the things from your story, seeing them as if they were my own memories. It’s like…” Clark notices her hesitation, clearly whatever it is, feels important to her. “My mind is filled with the lives of two different versions of me. The version that I explained to you and the version from your story. Both are true but  _ something _ is separating the two of them into parts I can’t put together.” She pauses and Clark isn’t sure what he’s supposed to say. Of course she  _ looks _ like Diana. She is still her but she couldn’t be the same one. His Diana still had to be out there somewhere. She couldn’t be here in this room with him. So close. 

“I’m not really sure what to say.” Clarks states after a moment. “Let’s say you’re right, how could you have forgotten what we had?” His voice cracks at the end. Sadness takes him where once there was nothing. “You don’t just forget that kind of thing.” Diana shakes her head.

“I wish I could say. It still doesn’t make sense to me but my memory is foggy. Has been ever since I got here. I don’t really know what’s real and what isn’t anymore.” Clark’s heartbeat begins to pound. He doesn’t want to believe it. It’s too good a thing in a world like this for him to just find himself back in her arms again.

“What was the first thing we said to each other.” He regrets the question as soon as he asks it. It seems so juvenile to say at a time like this. She gives him a warm smile.

“That’s easy. You told me something I already knew.” It’s not the answer, not really but Clark can feel that she knows exactly what he’s referencing. “ _ You’re strong _ .” He’d said to her back then. 

“ _ I know _ .” That was her only response for no other one was needed. 

It’s at this point Clark notices they’ve gotten closer. He can hear her heartbeat louder now. It almost matches his in intensity. Their shoulders touch and he secretly hopes she’ll take his hands again. “And, Clark?” She starts again with a wider smile. “I’m sorry for killing your plant. I shouldn’t have watered it.” His arm moves before his brain can, he places his palm on the side of her face the way he used to before. She closes her eyes and places her own hand on top of his.

The moment lasts for just a few moments but Clark can still feel his eyes getting heavy with tears. “Diana,” Clark begins slowly. “How is this possible?” She opens her eyes and takes his hand in both of hers, placing it on her lap.

“We live in a world of crazy. Maybe we finally get a win for ourselves.” Clark can see her eyes welling up as well.

“I never thought,” He sniffles. “Never wanted to believe it was possible. But I never gave up hope.” She covers his mouth before he can say more, tears falling from her face as well.

“There will be time to talk later, Clark.” A devilish grin creeps across both of their faces.

“Yes, you’re right of course. Time for talk later.” Diana grips the sides of Clark’s face and pulls him into a kiss. And when they collide, for just a brief moment, Clark forgets where they are, what they're up against and gets to be himself once again.

* * *

Diana awakes not expecting the sun. There was no true sun and thus no true night. She reaches over to the other side of the bed, yet she finds nothing. Her fear spikes instantly and she jolts up.  _ Don’t let it be a dream.  _ She scans the room, and only settles once she sees him. As perfect as the dawn she once admired, Clark stands off near the window, back in full uniform. He’d often done that when they were together before. Always desperate to see the sunrise if able. Not just because of his powers but because Clark always saw the sunrise as a new chance to be better. A new hope for tomorrow. 

Diana steps out of bed, slightly bummed he’s put everything back on. She longed for the days she could put on his oversized shirt or wrap herself in his cape. “Old habits, Clark?” Diana asks. He turns slowly and smiles.

“Old habits.” He repeats. “This place,” He looks back over his view of the Hellscape. “All my years of traveling the Dark Multiverse and I’ve never seen anything like it. Makes me feel like I failed somehow. Crazy, right?”

Diana puts back on her armor but leaves the cape and crown where they lay strewn. “Crazy, yes. You can’t put any of this on you, Clark. If anything, I blame myself.” Diana walks over and wraps her arms around his torso as they both stare in the distance. “The Batman Who Laughs was able to achieve this because we failed.  _ I  _ failed to stop this.”

“Is he from your world? Did Bruce do this?”

“No, he’s from the darkness. A world too cruel to even imagine.”

“I see.” Clark says. Diana expects a follow up but nothing comes. She moves to Clark’s front and takes his face in her hands.

“You’re here now, Clark. Together, we can stop him. We just need to find Bruce. Our Bruce anyway. Mabe the three of us can come up with-” Clark grips her hands and takes them away from his face.

“I’m sorry, Diana.” Clark says. The tone of his every word like a shot to her heart. She can tell something’s coming she doesn’t want to hear. “I’m not staying.” The feeling in her legs leave her, it takes everything in her not to collapse.

“What are you talking about, you just got here. We just got back together!” The words are raw in her mouth with much more force than intended. She can see his eyes puffing up once again. This time, not with the joy that had filed them the night before.

“Don’t you think I want to?” Clark grabs her waist and pulls her in until their faces are inches apart. “There’s nothing in the infinite worlds I want more than to stand by your side forever and always. I want to kick down the doors to Castle Bat with you and show that...creature what we can do. And we could do it, you and me, I believe that.” 

“But?” She asks.

“I can’t. Since I died all those years ago, I haven’t been wandering aimlessly around the Dark Multiverse. I met a...well I guess I can’t call him a man, more like a being. His name is Tempus and he has this ark. Like the one from those old bible stories I’d tell you about. I’ve been on it, travelling around the infinite worlds saving those who need saving. Both here in the darkness and on worlds just like ours.” He separates from her and she already misses the contact. The warmth of his body against hers.

“They're still out there, aren’t they?” She asks.

“They are. I need to find them, make sure they're alright.” He takes a deep breath. “I have so many questions about what’s happened since I’ve been gone. So many things I want to say to you. But I can’t because...because…” He trails off. The sadness overtaking him. So Diana does as she had always done before. She steels herself and reminds him who he is.

“Because you’re Superman.” He smiles and immediately pulls her in for another kiss. She wants it to last forever, and she can tell he wants it too but as they separate, she can feel her heart going with him. He turns back to the large window and pulls the latch to open it wide. The hot wind of the Hellscape hits like a truck and causes Clark’s cape to whip around, a sight that fills her with equal parts sadness and hope. He takes one step forward but Diana finds her hand reaching out and grab his.

“What if I forget you again?” It was something she’d feared as soon as she remembered their time together. She had no idea why she forgot in the first place but if it happened once, then it could always happen again. She expects Clark to share her sadness but instead he smiles. 

“You’ll never forget me. Not truly.” He turns to face her once again. “I’ve been to a lot of worlds since my death. And one thing I’ve found is that you and I, no matter in what form it takes, always find our way to each other. Sometimes we’re just friends, like the world you inhabit now. And sometimes we go the distance. I went to a world where we had a daughter and son. Our daughter had blue hair, kind of like what you have going here.” He says as he runs his hand through her hair. 

“Before you died,” Diana starts. “I always wanted...but I never thought we’d…” She had never told anyone about this. She barely wanted to admit it to herself but she’d wanted a family with him. Hearing that he’d seen it in some worlds lifts her spirit.

“Me too. And that’s not even the only one I’ve seen.” He places his hand on his symbol. “My heart will always,” He reaches over and gives her breast a playful squeeze and he moves over to her symbol, inciting a giggle from both. “Will always find its way to yours. No matter what form it takes. So I hope,” Clark states as he turns towards the window again. “If you forget what we had again, don’t fret. Because we will always find our way back to each other. One way or another.”

“I love you, Clark. Always will.”

“Of course you do. Goodbye, Diana. When the final battle comes, I’ll be there. Even if you don't see me. I’ll be with you.” Clark bends his knees and breaks into a run. He jumps up on a railing and jumps again, far into the distance. She stares at that horizon for a long time, even after he disappears from view.

* * *

The next day. Diana is in the forge again. This time, she’s working on her masterwork. The blue light of the chainsaw fills her goggled vision.

“Wonder Woman.” Comes a faint voice. She doesn’t immediately respond. “Diana, I bring news.” She turns to face the voice. She’s met with the withered form of Swamp Thing.

“Well? Bad or Worse?”

“ _ He’s _ coming. And he’s bringing a prisoner.” Her heart skips and she silently prays it’s not Clark. 

“Heh.” She laughs. “I didn’t know there were any villains left in the world above to imprison here, Swamp Thing.”

“Oh...I can think of a few hundred up there at least. Pointy ears, bats on their chests.”

“You’re in a mood, Alec. Who is he bringing?”

“I’m not sure but it’s someone important. He has muscle with him. I sense...three bats.”

“Three?!” She says with a degree of relief. No way they needed three to bring Clark back in. Though what it could mean instead is also dangerous. “What prisoner needs that kind of protection?”

“I don’t know but they’re here to see you.” Diana smiles. She touches her hand to her chest briefly, feels the warmth of Clark’s hand, feels his words in her soul. She rises.

“All right then, let’s be seen.”

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos to anyone who knows what some of the references in this work are to when they were actually a couple. I miss these guys together a lot so this was pretty cathartic for me. People keep forcing them apart but they always find their way back together. Please, let me know what you think in the comments. I'm always looking for a way to improve.


End file.
